Tennis news (but not only) of the past week: a great Hubert and submarines on Le Bon Coin

Sep 28, 2021, 6:00:00 AM | by Regis Delanoe

Tennis news (but not only) of the past week: a great Hubert and submarines on Le Bon Coin
Hubert Hurkacz
We Are Tennis by BNP Paribas brings you the best of the past week, on and off the courts, day after day. A week in which Hubert Hurkacz has come back, Europe has fought with the rest of the world and submarines have found their way onto the Bon Coin.

Monday September 20th

"I am doing very well, the rehabilitation is going on. The worst is behind me and I'm looking forward to the future." The week begins with good news from Roger Federer and it is now a safe bet that we will see the Swiss on a tennis court in 2022. In other health news, after many weeks of refusal, Stefanos Tsitsipas finally agreed to be vaccinated "so that he can go to shops and restaurants". Now the owner of a full vaccination passport, the Greek will be able, like the Monfils-Svitolina couple, to return to the stadiums. The Mbappé-Messi-Neymar trio is ready.

 

Tuesday September 21th 

With Australia having finally decided to use American military equipment, France finds itself with twelve submarines on its hands and is being teased by some smart guys who decide to put them on Le Bon Coin. Title of the ad: "Lot of 12 new submarines (in blister pack)". Price: 18 billion euros. Ballsy and a bit humiliating. In Metz, French tennis also took a few slaps with four defeats (Rinderknech, Simon, Humbert and Muller) this Tuesday. Fortunately, Lucas Pouille is not too far away for a little smile. Meanwhile, Daniil Medvedev is enjoying a well-deserved rest.

 

Wednesday September 22nd

Predictable and now official: Naomi Osaka will not play in Indian Wells and ends her difficult 2021 season. For Simona Halep, the change continues: after the wedding on 15 September, the Romanian decided to end her collaboration with Darren Cahill, who has been coaching her for six years. For Rafael Nadal, the focus is not on tennis for the moment but on sending a message of support to the population of the Canary Islands, affected by an impressive volcanic eruption that has caused major fires on the island of La Palma and the evacuation of thousands of inhabitants.

 

Thursday September 23rd 

Birthday for Juan Martin Del Potro, who is blowing out his 33rd birthday and is still missed. A Del Potro who we hope to see again in the World Team at the Laver Cup, where his compatriot Diego Schwartzman meets his opposite number, Reilly Opelka. (41 centimetres apart). The European team is having a quiet dinner together.

 

Friday 24 September

"We have to stop with this French zero at the end of the tournament. I think it's hard to point that out. It's hard enough to lose. Everyone wants to win, you don't lose on purpose." Gael Monfils has had more than enough of the criticism of French tennis. In the meantime, he has made it to the semi-finals in Metz. The end of the season was premature for Jérémy Chardy, who was physically too weak. "Since I had my vaccine, I've had a problem, I've been having a series of problems," he confessed. "So I can't train, I can't play." No problems for David Goffin, but a day of joy: it's marriage to his wife. It's also a joy for Federer, who is present on the edge of the court - that's something - to watch the Laver Cup. 

 

Saturday September 25th

Footprints dating back 23,000 years have just been discovered at an archaeological site in the southwestern United States. It may not sound like much, but it sets back the human presence on the American continent by 7,000 years! Enough to upset a lot of preconceived ideas. To celebrate the news (and especially to celebrate her last day before turning forty), Serena Williams took a leap of faith with her daughter. Garbine Muguruza is also in the area, in Wisconsin to be precise, to attend the Ryder Cup, one of the great sporting events of the weekend, with this traditional confrontation between the best golfers from Europe and the rest of the world. Like the Laver Cup, but a little more mythical.

 

Sunday September 26th

Let's talk about the Laver Cup: it was the epilogue on Sunday and the European team, the great favourite, confirmed this by crushing Shapovalov, Auger Aliassime and company with a clear score of 14-1. The suspense was not there, especially as Europe had already won the three previous editions... America took its revenge in golf with a 27th Ryder Cup win at the expense of the Old Continent. The great sporting achievement of the day was cycling, however, with Julian Alaphilippe being crowned world champion for the second year running. And in Belgium, please! Returning to tennis, Hubert Hurkacz won his fourth tournament in four finals in Metz, Kwon Soon-woo in Nur-Sultan in Kazakhstan (first final, first title) and Anett Kontaveit in Ostrava (third career title, the second of the season after Cleveland last month).